LOS ANGELES THEATER REVIEWS

A Moon for the Misbegotten/by Eugene O'Neill/directed by Jenny Sullivan/Rubicon Theatre, Ventura/through April 6...

Slowgirl/by Greg Pierce/directed by Randall Arney/Geffen Playhouse, Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater/through April 27...

Bailey Mason presents a return engagement of her critically-acclaimed solo show HOOKED, opening Sunday, April 27 and continuing on Sundays at 7:00pm through June 29, 2014 at Spiritworks Center in Burbank, directed by Mark W. Travis. HOOKED recounts Bailey's journey from hooker to healer, a true stor...

In this day of instant communication, how do you feel when the person you love does not answer a text or email within an hour? Makes you wonder what that person is up to and with whom, doesn't it? So image how was it in the days when the only way to reach a loved one was by sending a letter, and the...

The big question surrounding the fate of Harmony: Is Broadway ready for another musical about the turbulent 30s and Nazi occupation of Germany? With The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof (although set in Russia and at an earlier time, it's still about the plight of the Jews) and Cabaret firmly pla...

As a teen in Tulsa, Oklahoma who aspired to be a dramatic actor, Chicago-born Jason Graae was advised to 'Be a Clown' and to 'Make 'em Laugh'. Not everyone can fill the shoes of a clown; those shoes are pretty damn big. But for Graae, whose mind never stops clicking with its razor-sharp wit, fierce ...

On Sunday March 9, Spirit of Ireland lit up Morgan Auditorium at the University of La Verne with Michael Ryan and seven other electric musicians onstage, as well as lovely singer Cassie Murphy and three award-winning Irish dancers including Caterina Coyne from Riverdance. Part of a monthly program f...

The shining moment in this 70-minute Civil War musical comes in the final scene when the entire cast executes Ameenah Kaplan's dramatic drum choreography with exciting precision. It's a thrilling conclusion to an otherwise plodding musical by Doug Cooney (book & lyrics) and Lee Ahlin (music)....

In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre - not a handsome prince - shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won't shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the ...

SPRING AWAKENING is the 2007 Tony Award winning rock musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind's 1891 expressionist play about the trials and tribulations as well as the exhilaration of the teen years, exploring the confusion and desperation that ensue when the onrushing tide of hormones meets the ignora...

A STEADY RAIN is first and foremost a story about Denny and Joey, two Chicago cops caught up in a series of violent events that alter the course of their lives and their understanding of the world they inhabit. The play is also an exploration of the special bonds of male friendship, and the forces t...

The Los Angeles Premiere of the critically acclaimed DERBY DAY written and directed by Samuel Brett Williams explores love, family and mortality in his dark comedy set in his hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The play centers on the dysfunctional Ballard brothers who are in town for their abusive, ...

On the first Sunday of each month at Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, dinner cabaret nights are presented to packed houses. Due to the Oscars, this month's event was held on Monday, March 3, saluting THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWTUNE: A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD PRINCE whose career has spanned ...

On Saturday March 1 Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presented Broadway star Susan Egan, who originated the role of 'Belle' in Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, as part of its first season at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center. Joining Egan on stage were the sixty-member Arcadia Stage, th...

Boeing Boeing/by Marc Camoletti/translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans/directed by Larry Eisenberg/Group rep/through April 13...

Girls' night out just got a whole lot sassier now that 50 SHADES! THE MUSICAL has arrived in LA for a month's run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and women are coming out in droves to see what a group of comedy writers have done with their not-so-secret obsession. I'll say this - it's got balls alright...

While attempting to confront his career's inevitable downslide, unremarkable race car driver Bobby Horvath visits his family and friends back in Mansfield, Ohio, while trying to determine which way to go with his life. Over the course of numerous flashbacks, past and present collide as Bobby takes a...

Patricia Ward Kelly's compelling presentation combines rare and familiar film clips, previously unreleased audio recordings, personal memorabilia, and insights culled from her hours of interviews and conversations with her husband whom she met in 1985 in Washington, D.C., where she was the writer fo...

Despite an injury, good sport Davis Gaines---who plays the title role in Musical Theatre West's new production of Meredith Willson's ever-enduring Tony Award-winning musical THE MUSIC MAN---continues the 'show must go on' mantra and plows through, turning in a rousing performance that does not disap...

Set in Brooklyn's Hasidic Jewish community, MY NAME IS ASHER LEV is the powerful story of a young and extremely gifted painter's struggle to become an artist at any cost - against the will of his parents, community and tradition. Exploring questions of art, family, religion and loyalty, this extraor...

It is one of the most wondrous moments in all of Shakespeare's plays; the moment near the end of The Winter's Tale when the statue of Hermione comes to life. Whether it is magic, divine intervention, or merely the resolution of a well-concealed plot, it doesn't matter. It never fails to leave me wit...

What do you get when you mash-up an ancient Greek play with the contemporary, meta-sarcasm of Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and Bring It On? Why, the buoyant musical confection LYSISTRATA JONES, of course! Filled with witty dialogue, amusingly droll characters, and a high-energy pop score, this Tony n...

Me and My Girl/music by Noel Gay/book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose/directed & choreographed by Orlando Alexander/Glendale Centre Theatre (GCT)/through March 29...

Larry Shue's career as playwright/actor fell far too short with his sudden death in 1985. He had written two howlingly funny farces The Nerd and The Foreigner, both of which have become cult classics. Each farce exposes an eclectic group of people to a mishmash of insanity. There is an underdog at t...